Sailboat winch

ABSTRACT

An improved sailboat winch comprising a flanged drum journaled on an upstanding portion of a base, a handle demountably attached to the top of the drum for manual rotation of the drum, and spring-loaded pawls extending from the base and engaging detents on an interior surface of the drum to permit rotation of the drum in one direction only. The winch drum is secured axially to the base by an inwardly directed flange at the bottom of the drum which extends beneath the outwardly spring-biased pawls. A portion of each pawl extends axially below the drum bottom flange, allowing the inward compression of the pawls by insertion of a string or wire between the drum and the base, thus permitting the removal of the drum from the base without the removal of fastenings or the use of tools.

United States Patent [1 1 Pillsbury, Jr.

[ Nov. 13, 1973 SAILBOAT WINCH [76] inventor: Donald M. Pillsbury, Jr., 35

Fairmont Dr., East Greenwich, R.l. 02818 [22] Filed: Sept. 28, 1972 [21] Appl. No.2 293,029

[52] US. Cl. 254/150, 226/194 [51] int. Cl B66d 1/30 [58] Field of Search 254/150; 226/190,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,288,439 11/1966 Holmes 254/150 3,712,155 1/1973 Stommel 254/150 X 3,682,442 8/1972 Baldwin 254/150 Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles Assistant Examiner Gene A. Church Attorney-Dexter N. Shaw et a1.

AllSTRACT An improved sailboat winch comprising a flanged drum journaled on an upstanding portion of a base, a handle demountably attached to the top of the drum for manual rotation of the drum, and spring-loaded pawls extending from the base and engaging detents on an interior surface of the drum to permit rotation of the drum in one direction only. The winch drum is secured axially to the base by an inwardly directed flange at the bottom of the drum which extends beneath the outwardly spring-biased pawls. A portion of each pawl extends axially below the drum bottom flange, allowing the inward compression of the pawls by insertion of a string or wire between the drum and the base, thus permitting the removal of the drum from the base without the removal of fastenings or the use of tools.

10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures FIG. I. 2 6

sArLBoA'r WINCH v I The present invention relates generally to winches of the hand actuated, ratcheting type and relates more specifically to an improved type of sailboat winch, the drum of which may be readily removed and replaced without tools.

Manually operated ratchet winches are commonly used on sailboats, principally to provide mechanical advantage for setting'and adjusting the position of the sails. The most common type of sailboat winch, available in various sizes to suit its application and the size of the boat on which it is mounted, comprises a drum having upper and lower flanges which is journaled on a base having an upstanding axial portion. A suitable ratcheting mechanism permits rotation of the drum in only one direction, conventionally clockwise. A cranking handle is normally demountably attached to the top of the drum. The line to be winched in is turned several times in a clockwise direction around the druni and tension is maintained on the line tail while the handle is cranked to rotate the drumfthus takingup on the standing part of the line. When the desired tension has been applied to the line, the tail is cleated.

In the conventional winch construction, the'drum is secured to the base by a screw or other type of fastening means which is inserted axially into the upstanding portion of the base, usually through'the handle socket.

For disassembly of the winch for cleaning or repair, the drum is removed by unscrewing the screw or other type fastener attaching the drum to the base. This normally requires one or more tools which may not be available or easily accessible on a sailboat while under way. Upon disassembly, the fastenings must be carefully secured along with the tools utilized in the disassembly process to make certain that they do not slip overboard. In addition, the conventional winch may permit the entry of water into the winch bearings by way of the holes through which the drum fastenings. pass. Salt water and dirt canreadily find their way into the, interior of the drum and the drum bearings by this path, especially when the fastener communicateswith the'handle socket.

In the present invention, the winch drum is held a xi-v ally in position on thebase by means ofa-flange extending inwardly from the bottom-.ofthegdrur'n beneath the springbiased pawls,-'the drum being held captive by the presence of the flange beneath the extended pawls. There are accordingly, in the winch of thepresent invention, no fastening s involved in the attachment of the drum and hence no need for tools for installation or re moval of the drum. To free the drum from the base, axially extending portions of the pawls are engaged by a piece of string or wire which is slid between the drum and the base to pivot the pawls inwardly against the spring force so that the drum flange will clear the pawls and allow the drum to be slid upwardly from the base.

For replacement of the drum in the present winch, the drum is provided with a pair of studs extending downwardly beneath the inwardly directed drum flange which upon a clockwise rotation of the drum will engage and swing the pawls inwardly to allow the drum' flange to clear the pawls. When the drum seats in its normal position on thebase, the pawls will under spring pressure pivot outwardly into theirratcheting position and lock the drum in place. Y

The absence of fasteners passing through the top of the drum in the present winch prevents dirt and water from passing downwardly into the winch bearing area. In addition,=the'closed drum top restricts the entry of water from beneath the drum since air will be trapped in the drum cavity. Thus even should-a wave pass over the winch, water will not reach the winch bearings because of the captive air in the bearing region.

It is accordingly a first object of the present invention toprovide a hand actuated ratcheting type winch of an improved construction which is particularly adapted for use on sailboats and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a winch as described, the drum of which may be removed and replaced without the removal of any fastening members and without the needfor tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide a winch as described wherein the replacement of the winch drum may be effected simply by rotating the drum into position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a winch as described, the bearings of which are shielded from the entrance of dirt and water.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved winch-as described having a minimal number of parts to permit economical manufacture and to facilitate assembly. 7

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a sailboat winch in accordance with the present invention, the winch handle being partly broken away;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the interior details of the present winch with the handle removed;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 showing the cooperation of the pawls with the drum detents; n

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 44 of FIG. '3 showing the manner, in which the pawls maybe inwardly piv? oted by means of a string to allow removalof the drum;

" FIG. 5 is a partial elevational viewof the winch partly in section showing the man neriri which the drur n studs engage the pawls during replacement of the drum to swing the pawls inwardly as the drum is rotated and permit the-drumtov drop into its normal position;

FIG. 6 isya view'partly. in section taken along line 6-6.0f FIG, 5; I

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial plan view partly in section showingone of the pawls and the manner in which Referring tothe drawings, the present winch generally designated 10' comprises a drum -12 rotatably mounted on a base 14 which is secured to a surface- 16 which might for example comprise a boat deck. A handle 18 of a conventional type is detachably mounted on the top of the drum to permit the manual rotation of the drum.

The-base 14 comprises a round plate-like portion 20 through which suitable fastenings such as bolts 21 (FIG. 6) pass .to secure the winch to the deck. An upstanding concentric portion 22 of'the base 14 rises from the portion 20. The portion 22 includes a lower cylindrical pawl-supporting portion 24 and an upper cylindrical drum journaling portion 26.

The drum 12 includes a central cylindrical outer surface 28 which is flanked by an upper flange 30 and a somewhat larger lower flange 32. A cavity 34 opening from the bottom of the drum includes a concentric cylindrical bore 36 overlying the base portion 26. A sleeve 38 of a suitable'bearing material is fitted within the bore 36 and journals the drum surface 28 about the base portion 26. Similarly, a washer 40 seated between the top of the base portion 26 and the end of the cavity 34 provides an axial bearing support for the drum, the bottom of the drum being slightly spaced from the base portion for a purpose discussed below. The sleeve 38 and washer 40 are preferably of a low friction selflubricating material such as polytetrafluoroethylene. A conventional slotted socket 42 is provided in the top of the drum 12 to accommodate the stud portion 44 of the I handle 18.

Ratcheting means are provided to restrict rotation of the drum 12 to a clockwise direction. The ratcheting means comprises a pair of pawls 46, 46 each of which, as shown in FIG. 8, includes a cylindrical end portion 48 and an arm portion 50 extending tangentially therefrom. The cylindrical portions 48 of the pawls are rotat ably seated within diametrically spaced semicylindrical sockets 52 of the portion 24 of the base 14. The pawls are secured against axial vertical movement by screws 53, the heads of which overlap the cylindrical portions 48 of the pawls. The portion 24 of the base is as illustrated in FIG. 3 cut away at 54, 54 to permit the arms 50 to swing inwardly into a non-protruding position shown in FIG. 4 under certain circumstances. Each pawl is normally spring biased outwardly by a spring member 56 which fits within a transverse slot 58 in the pawl cylindrical portion. Each spring member 56, as shown most clearly in FIG. 7, comprises leg portions 60 and 62 which respectively bear against the base portion 24 and the pawl arm 50 to exert an outwardly biasing effect on the pawl arm.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 3, the outwardly extending pawls cooperate with a saw-toothshaped series of detents' 64 which comprise a ratcheting surface in the drum cavity 34. The cooperation of the pawls with thedrum ratcheting surface permits rotation ;of the drum only in a clockwise direction.

To secure the drum against axial movement away from the base, an inwardly extending flange is provided at the bottom edge of the drum which in the present embodiment is formed by a retaining ring 66 which is secured in an annular groove 68 of the drum in any suitable manner such as .by use of an epoxy adhesive. The flange formed by the ring 66 extends beneath the arms 50 of the pawls when the pawls are in their outwardly spring biased description and thus prevent any appreciable vertical movement of the drum away from the base. Since the pawls as indicated above are se-' cured against vertical movement by the screws 53, the

drum may be moved vertically with respect to the base only until the flange provided by the ring 66 engages the pawlarms 50.

To permit removal of the drum from the base without tools, a portion of the pawls 70 extends downwardly below the bottom of the drum and is engagable by a string slipped between the bottom of the drum and the base portion 20 as shown in FIG. 4. The string 72 is looped around both pawls and is pulled tight in the manner'indicated to engage the pawl portions 70 and swing the pawls against the pressure of the spring members into the non-protruding position shown in FIG. 4

with the arms lying closely adjacent the cut away portions 54 of the base portion 24. With the pawls in this position, the drum may now be lifted clear of the pawls and the base to gain access to the winch bearings and ratchet mechanism.

For replacement of the drum, small studs 74 are provided in diametrically spaced relation adjacent the inner edge of the flange formed by the retaining ring 66 and extending downwardly therefrom to engage the pawls as shown in FIG. 5 upon replacement of the drum on the base. By resting the drum on the extended pawls as shown in FIG. 5 and rotating the drum in a clockwise direction, the studs 74 will serve to deflect the pawls inwardly to a sufficient degree to allow the drum flange to slide down the outside of the pawls, following which the pawls will under spring loading extend into engagement with the drum ratcheting surface. Although the drum could also be replaced by utilizing a string in the same manner shown in FIG. 4 to compress the pawls, the stud arrangement eliminates the need for the string during reassembly of the winch.

The operation of the winch during normal sailing use is completely conventional and as described above involves simply the turning of a line to be tensioned about the drum in a clockwise manner, three turns normally being sufficient to provide an adequate grip of the line about the drum. the cranking of the handle while maintaining a grip on the tail end of the line produces a mechanical advantage, depending on the diameter of the drum and the size of the handle.

The significant difference from the conventional winch is the ease of disassembly which as indicated is accomplished simply by wrapping a string or wire about the base between the bottom of the drum and the base portion 20 to swing the ratchet pawls inwardly, allowing the drum flange to be slipped over the pawls. The reassembly is accomplished by merely seating the drum on the base in the manner of FIG. 5 and rotating the drum clockwise so that the pawls are inwardly compressed by the downwardly depending studs 74. When the pawls have been compressed by a sufficient degree to permit the clearance of the drum flange, the drum will drop into place and be held captive by the spring loaded pawls.

Although the present invention has been shown in the setting of a top handle winch, it will be obvious that the invention is equally well suited to the handleless type of winchknown as the snubbing winch.

The'winch parts are preferably formed from noncoroding materials such as stainless steel, bronze, anodized aluminum, etc. in accordance with conventional marine hardware construction.

Although two pawls are illustrated in the ratcheting mechanism of the illustrated embodiment, it will be apparent that a single pawl might suffice in a relativelyv 1. In a sailboat winch comprising a base, a drum journaled on an upstanding portion of said base, ratchet means restricting rotation of said drum with respect to said base to a single direction, said ratcheting means comprising at least one ratchet pawl rotatably mounted on said base and spring loaded to engage a detent surface of said drum, and means for axially securing said drum to said base, the improvement wherein said means for axially securing said drum to said base comprises an inwardly directed radial flange on said drum, said drum flange underlying a portion of said ratchet pawl when said pawl is spring biased into engagement with the detent surface of said drum, said flange clearing said pawl to permit axial movement of said drum when said pawl is rotated radially inwardly away from said drum detent surface.

2. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drum at its inner end is axially spaced from said base, and wherein said pawl includes a portion extending axially beyond said drum flange into radial alignment with the spacing between said drum and base, whereby a string may be inserted between said base and drum to engage said axially extending portion of said pawl and move said pawl inwardly away from the drum detent surface to permit removal of the drum from the base.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 1 including a stud axially depending from said drum flange, said stud engaging said pawl upon assembly of said winch to move said pawl radially inwardly upon rotation of said drum whereby said drum flange may pass axially over said pawl into a drum-locking position below a portion of said pawl.

4. A sailboat winch comprising a base, said base in cluding a round plate-like portion and a substantially cylindrical upstanding portion, a drum having a substantially cylindrical central portion adjoined by upper and lower out-wardly extending flange portions, a cavity in said drum opening from the bottom of the drum and including a concentric cylindrical bore overlying said substantially cylindrical base portion, a bearing sleeve disposed between said drum cylindrical bore and said cylindrical upstanding portion of said base to journal said drum on said base, means for selectively rotating said drum wijh respect to said base, ratchet means restricting rotation of said drum with respect to said base to a single direction, said ratcheting means .comprising at least one ratchet pawl rotatably mounted on said base and spring loaded to engage a detent surface of said drum, means for axially securing said drum to said base, said latter means comprising an inwardly directed radial flange on said drum, said drum flange underlying a portion of said ratchet pawl when said pawl is spring biased-into engagement with the detent surface of said drum, said flange clearing said pawl to permit' axial movement of said drum when said pawl is rotated radially inwardly away from said drum detent surface, said drum in its mounted position on said base being axially spaced from said base, said pawl including a portion thereof extending axially beyond said drum flange into radial alignment with the spacing between said drum and said base, whereby a string inserted between said base and drum may engage said axially extending portion of said pawl and move said pawl inwardly away from the drum detent surface to permit removal ofsaiddr'um from said base.

5. The invention as claimed in claim 4 including a stud axially depending from said drum flange,-said stud engaging said pawl upon assembly of said winch to move said pawl radially'inwardly upon rotation of said drum whereby said drum flange may pass axially over said pawl into a drum-locking position below a portion of said pawl.

6. The invention claimed in claim 4 wherein said ratchet means comprises a pair of diametrically opposed pawls rotatably mounted on said base and spring loaded to engage a detent surface of said drum.

7. The invention as claimed in claim 6 including a pair of studs axially depending from said drum flange in diametrically opposed relation, said studs engaging said pawls upon assembly of said winch to move said pawls radially inwardly upon rotation of said drum whereby said drum flange may pass axially over said pawls into a drum-locking position below a portion of each of said pawls.

8. The invention as calimed in claim 4 wherein said drum cavity is sealed from the cylindrical, flanged and I top surfaces of said drum by the imperforate structure of said drum.

9. The invention as claimed in claim 4 including a bearing washer disposed between the upper end of said base upstanding cylindrical portion and said drum.

10. The invention as claimed in claim 9 wherein said bearing sleeve and said bearing washer are formed of a low friction, self-lubricating material. 

1. In a sailboat winch comprising a base, a drum journaled on an upstanding portion of said base, ratchet means restricting rotation of said drum with respect to said base to a single direction, said ratcheting means comprising at least one ratchet pawl rotatably mounted on said base and spring loaded to engage a detent surface of said drum, and means for axially securing said drum to said base, the improvement wherein said means for axially securing said drum to said base comprises an inwardly directed radial flange on said drum, said drum flange underlying a portion of said ratchet pawl when said pawl is spring biased into engagement with the detent surface of said drum, said flange clearing said pawl to permit axial movement of said drum when said pawl is rotated radially inwardly away from said drum detent surface.
 2. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drum at its inner end is axially spaced from said base, and wherein said pawl includes a portion extending axially beyond said drum flange into radial alignment with the spacing between said drum and base, whereby a string may be inserted between said base and drum to engage said axially extending portion of said pawl and move said pawl inwardly away from the drum detent surface to permit removal of the drum from the base.
 3. The invention as claimed in Claim 1 including a stud axially depending from said drum flange, said stud engaging said pawl upon assembly of said winch to move said pawl radially inwardly upon rotation of said drum whereby said drum flange may pass axially over said pawl into a drum-locking position below a portion of said pawl.
 4. A sailboat winch comprising a base, said base including a round plate-like portion and a substantially cylindrical upstanding portion, a drum having a substantially cylindrical central portion adjoined by upper and lower out-wardly extending flange portions, a cavity in said drum opening from the bottom of the drum and including a concentric cylindrical bore overlying said substantially cylindrical base portion, a bearing sleeve disposed between said drum cylindrical bore and said cylindrical upstanding portion of said base to journal said drum on said base, means for selectively rotating said drum wijh respect to said base, ratchet means restricting rotation of said drum with respect to said base to a single direction, said ratcheting means comprising at least one ratchet pawl rotatably mounted on said base and spring loaded to engage a detent surface of said drum, means for axially securing said drum to said base, said latter means comprising an inwardly directed radial flange on said drum, said drum flange underlying a portion of said ratchet pawl when said pawl is spring biased into engagement with the detent surface of said drum, said flange clearing said pawl to permit axial movement of said drum when said pawl is rotated radially inwardly away from said drum detent surface, said drum in its mounted position on said base being axially spaced from said base, said pawl including a portion thereof extending axially beyond said drum flange into radial alignment with the spacing between said drum and said base, whereby a string inserted between said base and drum may engage said axially extending portion of said pawl and move said pawl inwardly away from the drum detent surface to permit removal of saiddrum from said base.
 5. The invention as claimed in claim 4 including a stud axially depending from said drum flange, said stud engaging said pawl upon assembly of said winch to move said pawl radially inwardly upon rotation of said drum whereby said drum flange may pass axially over said pawl into a drum-locking position below a portion of said pawl.
 6. The invention claimed in claim 4 wherein said ratchet means comprises a pair of diametrically opposed pawls rotatably mounted on said base and spring loaded to engage a detent surface of said drum.
 7. The invention as claimed in claim 6 including a pair of studs axially depending from said drum flange in diametrically opposed relation, said studs engaging said pawls upon assembly of said winch to move said pawls radially inwardly upon rotation of said drum whereby said drum flange may pass axially over said pawls into a drum-locking position below a portion of each of said pawls.
 8. The invention as calimed in claim 4 wherein said drum cavity is sealed from the cylindrical, flanged and top surfaces of said drum by the imperforate structure of said drum.
 9. The invention as claimed in claim 4 including a bearing washer disposed between the upper end of said base upstanding cylindrical portion and said drum.
 10. The invention as claimed in claim 9 wherein said bearing sleeve and said bearing washer are formed of a low friction, self-lubricating material. 